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12 | December 5, 2019 | 22nd century media education guide
22ndCenturyMedia.com
Providence Catholic Children’s Academy
serves religious, educational needs of children
Providence Catholic Children’s
Academy was opened in
1992. Under the direction of the
Joliet Diocese, it serves the religious
and educational needs of
children who are members of
the New Lenox and surrounding
communities. It is located on the
campus of Providence Catholic
High School at 1800 W. Lincoln
Hwy. in New Lenox. Preschoolaged
children, ages 3-4, have the
choice of full or half-day classes.
Kindergarten children, ages 5-6,
attend school five full days a
week. Before and after school
care is also available to students
on a full time or as needed basis.
All teachers at PCCA possess
a bachelor’s degree or greater.
They provide a nurturing environment
that emphasizes on academic,
social-emotional, physical
and spiritual growth. This
environment encourages children
to develop a positive selfconcept,
while allowing them to
grow on many levels.
Tuition includes books, inschool
field trips and most supplies.
There are no required
parent volunteer hours and all
fundraising is optional. Free and
optional speech and developmental
screenings are offered to
all PCCA students in the fall.
Our open house and registration
for the 2020-2021 school
year is from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 26. Tours of our
school are offered year-round.
Tours can be scheduled by calling
for an appointment.
Submitted by Providence Catholic
Children’s Academy, 1800 W. Lincoln
Hwy. in New Lenox. For more information,
call Laura McErlean at (815)
485-7129 or visit the school’s website
at wearepc.org.
Gym-Kinetics offers programs for children of all ages
Gym-Kinetics Gymnastics
School in Mokena has
recently celebrated its 34th
year in business. The No.
1 gymnastic school in the
south suburbs got its start
in 1985 over in Glenwood
before moving to Mokena
in 1993. Since moving to
Mokena, Gym-Kinetics
has grown by leaps and
bounds. Owners Jim and
Wendy Fredrickson had
fewer than 100 students
in that first session back
in October 1985. Fast forward
to 2019. The most
popular south side gymnastic
school now sees
more than 1,000 children
per week. Teaching classes
for children as young as 1,
Gym-Kinetics offers Baby
Gym for 1-year-olds, Mom
& Mini for 2-year-olds,
Little Minis for 3-yearolds
and Minis for 4- to
5-year-olds, as well as beginner
and advanced level
gymnastics for girls and
boys from age 5 through
high school. Another really
popular program is
Ninja Zone, an obstacle
course type of activity for
boys and girls ages 4 and
up. This is probably the
fastest growing program
currently at the gym.
Competitively, Gym-
Kinetics has been a powerhouse
in the State of Illinois
for the last 30 years.
With hundreds of State,
regional and national champions,
Gym-Kinetics girls
and boys teams are getting
ready to begin the competitive
season this December.
“Each year we do so
well that it’s hard to match
the successes of the previous
season, but each year
we seem to do so,” Gym-
Kinetics owner Jim Fredrickson
said.
Competitions are scheduled
to begin in early December.
The coaching staff
at Gym-Kinetics say that
the children seem ahead
of schedule for this time in
the training process, which
is a really good place to be
this early in the competitive
season.
Other activities offered
at Gym-Kinetics are open
gyms at 1 p.m. Tuesdays
and 9 a.m. Wednesdays
for preschool-age children
and noon-2 p.m. Sundays
for children ages 6 and up.
Birthday parties, held on
Saturdays and Sundays,
are also very popular and
can be booked by calling
far in advance.
Submitted by Gym-Kinetics
Gymnastics School, 19220
Ridge Drive in Mokena. For
more information on all of
the Gym-Kinetics programs,
call (708) 479-6969 or visit
gymkinetics.com.
st. mary
From Page 2
gymnasium and the STEAM
(science, technology, engineering,
art, mathematics) classroom.
The STEAM classroom allows
teachers to bring a unique
approach of teaching to enhance
student learning and understanding
of how all things relate
to each other, in school and in
life. Unlike other STEM programs,
St. Mary’s program also
emphasizes the integration of
the arts and offers more creativity
to students in the learning
process. The STEAM program
and open classroom setting allow
teachers to facilitate rather
than lecture, resulting in students
experiencing their education
as a process instead of a
final product.
St. Mary School also offers
a one-to-one technology program
that provides each student
in grades six through eight with
an individual iPad, a class set of
iPads for grades three through
five and kindergarten through
grade two have designated classroom
iPads and SmartBoards for
educational use. Primary students
also benefit from a certified
reading specialist and teacher
aides.
Learn about numerous
extracurricular opportunities
and more
Students can enjoy many after-school
programs, including
band, chess, youth choir, drama
club, yearbook, scout groups, social
events and an extensive athletic
program. Before and After
School Care is available for a fee
from 6:45-7:50 a.m. and 2:40-6
p.m. Bus service is an option for
those families who reside in the
Mokena Public School District
159 for a fee.
Learn about tuition assistance
St. Mary’s offers tuition assistance
through Empower Illinois,
the Catholic Education Foundation
and a Tuition Transfer Grant.
St. Mary’s funded 100 percent of
its students that applied for a tuition
grant through Empower Illinois
last year. St. Mary’s offers a
special Tuition Transfer Grant for
up to $1,500 per family ($1,000
in Year 1, $500 in Year 2) for
students entering grades 1-7 who
transfer from any private, public,
charter or home school. Students
transferring from another Catholic
school in the Diocese of Joliet or
neighboring dioceses are not eligible.
Submitted by St. Mary Catholic
School, 11409 195th St. in Mokena.
For more information, visit
stmaryschoolmokena.org or call
(708) 326-9330.